The Lore of Clan Goran - Chapter 7 - The Ruins of Clan Naroc

[Kane]

We rested and scouted the neighboring passages for two days before making the decision to seek out the hold of Clan Naroc; old allies believed to have fallen to the Shadow. In my youth, the trip to the Naroc clanhold would have taken a little more then a day from where we were now, but the normal route was closed off, likely to protect the hold as the Shadow tightened its siege. As we travelled, we found abandoned tools and evidence that the Shadow had tried to reopen sealed passages. The works looked old, maybe a handful of years had passed since last pick struck the rock. That was a bad sign, meaning the Shadow had found an easier route.

It took us another three days to find the entrance to the hold. It was a crude affair, but wide enough for the attackers to bring more of their numbers to bear. The tunnel was almost a mile long and we could see where the Naroc had built defensive positions.  The Shadow must have lost hundreds if not thousands of dead to breach the outer defenses. We could still see rock discolored by blood. The Naroc had given their lives dearly to defend what they had to know was a doomed hold. Would we have done any less? I could sense our fate if this mission was not successful.

Even though the fighting appeared to be long done, we moved forward cautiously. We looked for fresh spoor to determine if the orcs or spawn still lingered and found nothing. Meloc and two of the brothers scouted ahead and found no evidence that anything still lived in the Naroc hold. The Shadow had destroyed the hold solely to kill its people.  There was no desire for territory, access to rich mining, or even slaves. The Dark God was determined to drive us to extinction.

Walking through the ruined clanhold was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I had been here when the hold was alive and I could see its people in my memories. We found where they killed their own children and the elderly. The bones were in a heap near the clan’s shrine.  All were cracked and sucked dry of marrow. The great furnaces and forges were destroyed with great skill; likely by the Naroc to deny them to the orcs. Most importantly, the clan had destroyed their great mural which showed their trade routes and allied clan holds. Even in their death, they tried to protect us. We who sent no aid, and had purposefully sealed ourselves away. A great people had died here, alone, but now not unmourned.